Chapter 1

The champagne glass felt cold in Olivia Reynolds' s hand, a stark contrast to the warmth of the crowded ballroom. It was her engagement party, a celebration of her future with Michael Thompson, the brilliant tech entrepreneur who had swept her off her feet. Everything was perfect, from the glittering chandeliers to the soft music playing in the background.

Then, she saw Tiffany Miller, Michael' s "adopted sister," gliding through the crowd. A smug smile played on her lips, but it was the dark purple mark on her neck, just above the collar of her dress, that caught Olivia' s eye. A hickey. It was deliberately placed, a flag planted for everyone, especially Olivia, to see.

Tiffany stopped in front of her, her voice sweet but dripping with poison. "Olivia, you look so beautiful. Michael is a lucky man." She leaned in, her perfume cloying. "He told me I bring him good luck. That's why he needed a little boost before the party."

Olivia' s stomach twisted. She kept her voice steady. "What are you talking about, Tiffany?"

Tiffany' s smile widened, and she nonchalantly touched the hickey. "Just a little good luck charm. He even said that on your wedding night, I should sleep between you two. You know, to help you conceive a son. He thinks my luck will rub off."

The words hit Olivia like a physical blow. The room seemed to tilt. This wasn' t just a provocation, it was a declaration of war. Disgust, thick and suffocating, rose in her throat. She looked past Tiffany and saw Michael watching them, a faint, unreadable smile on his face. He wasn't stopping this, he was enjoying it.

Without another thought, Olivia' s hand shot out. She grabbed Tiffany' s arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "Get out."

"What are you doing?" Tiffany shrieked, her sweet facade crumbling. "Let go of me!"

"I said, get out," Olivia repeated, her voice low and dangerous. She didn't care about the guests who were starting to stare. She dragged Tiffany toward the exit, the woman's heels scraping against the polished floor. She shoved her through the double doors and into the hallway, the force making Tiffany stumble.

"You're crazy!" Tiffany yelled, fixing her dress.

Olivia slammed the doors shut, the sound echoing in the now silent ballroom. She turned to face Michael, her whole body trembling with rage. He just raised an eyebrow, as if this was all a minor inconvenience.

The next day, the perfect future Olivia had imagined was shattered into a million pieces. Michael showed up at her apartment, not with an apology, but with a chillingly calm expression. "Get dressed," he said. "We're going to the amusement park. Ethan has been wanting to go."

Olivia was confused, but a part of her still hoped he was trying to make things right. Ethan, her younger brother, was her world. He suffered from severe acrophobia, a paralyzing fear of heights, and had a serious heart condition that made any sudden shock dangerous.

At the park, Michael led them directly to the "Skyfall Tower," a 200-foot freefall ride. Ethan' s face went pale. "I... I can't go on that, Michael."

"Nonsense," Michael said with a bright, terrifying smile. "It'll be fun." Before Olivia could protest, he and two of his burly security guards grabbed Ethan. Her brother cried out, struggling, but they were too strong. They strapped him into a seat on the ride, his knuckles white as he gripped the restraints.

"Michael, stop it! What are you doing?" Olivia screamed, clawing at his arm. "He has a heart condition! This could kill him!"

Michael' s face was a mask of cruelty. He held up his phone. Tiffany was on the screen, a smug look on her face. "Apologize to Tiffany," Michael said, his voice cold. "She was very upset yesterday."

"What? No! Get Ethan off that ride right now!" Olivia pleaded, her heart pounding with a terror she had never known.

Michael ignored her. He took out the ride' s remote control, something he must have arranged beforehand. He brazenly pressed the 'on' button. The ride jerked to life, shooting Ethan upwards. Her brother' s screams tore through the air, a sound of pure, unadulterated fear.

"Stop it! Please, Michael, stop!" Olivia sobbed, falling to her knees. "I'm sorry! Tiffany, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, please make him stop!"

"He can't hear you," Tiffany' s voice chirped from the phone. "Kowtow to me. On video. Maybe then I'll feel better."

Michael angled the phone down at Olivia. "You heard her. Kowtow."

Desperate, Olivia pressed her forehead to the dirty pavement, again and again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She didn't care about the pain, the grit scraping her skin, or the blood that started to trickle down her face. All she could hear were Ethan' s screams from high above.

"That's better," Michael said, sounding pleased. He held the phone up to show Tiffany.

"Please, you got what you wanted. Let him down now," Olivia begged, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.

Michael smiled, a truly evil, empty smile. He looked at the remote in his hand, then at the tower where Ethan' s seat was now at the very top, paused before its terrifying drop. "You know," he said conversationally, "I think this remote is broken."

And with a deliberate, sickening crack, he snapped the controller in half.

Time seemed to stop. Olivia stared at the broken plastic in his hand, and then her eyes shot up to the top of the tower. Ethan' s seat was released. He plummeted. The scream was cut short. There was a horrific, final thud.

Silence.

The world went white. Olivia crawled toward the base of the ride, her body refusing to work properly. She saw him. Broken. Still.

A wail of pure agony ripped from her soul. It was a sound of a world ending. Her world.

Michael walked over and stood above her. He nudged her with his expensive shoe. "He was weak anyway. Probably would have died from his heart thing soon." Tiffany' s laughter echoed from the phone he still held. "Now, about our wedding," Michael continued, as if he were discussing the weather. "Your parents are on vacation in Europe. I'd hate for something to happen to them. Their medical treatments, for example. It would be a shame if their funding was suddenly cut. You will proceed with the wedding plans. You will be my wife."

Olivia lay on the ground, next to her brother's lifeless body, her grief a physical weight crushing her. She tried to call the police, to scream for help, but Michael' s men were there, surrounding her. They took her phone, her purse. They told the park staff it was a tragic accident, a ride malfunction. They had a story for everything. The park's surveillance cameras in the area, she would later learn, had mysteriously malfunctioned at that exact time.

She was trapped. Her brother was dead. Her parents were hostages. And she was engaged to a monster. In that moment of absolute despair, a name surfaced in her mind from a long time ago. Mr. Davies. A powerful, enigmatic man her father had once known. A man who owed her family a favor. He was her only hope, a tiny, flickering candle in an abyss of darkness. She had to reach him. She had to survive.